I have to admit, I wasn't entirely sure about what I wanted to blog today. Did I want to do a quirky fun post with cheesy jokes? Perhaps. Did I want to talk about the type of stories I write? Nope, I will save that for another occasion. So, I was rather stuck this morning, then I remembered a question my aunt asked me when I told her about one of my stories...
"Do you think that Werewolves and vampires exists? Or at least existed once upon a time?"
Without hesitation I simply replied, "Yes."
 |
| An 18th century engraving of a werewolf |
I genuinely do believe that they existed at some point in the history of the world, just like I believe in every ounce of Greek, Egyptian, oh all mythology in general. If there was no truth in any of the stories that are out in the world, then where have those amazing myths and legends come from?
I know some of you will be sitting there reading this and thinking, "storytellers perhaps?" You would probably be right, and yes I know that there are texts and pieces of the past that stand in museums to show some proof of that particular time, but doesn't it seem both amazing yet unbelivable to think that Posideon and an army of mermaids could actually be beneath our deep ocean? That medusa, and other real life monsters could have walked the earth?
I guess the more insane a character or story is the more we will believe that it can't be true. Perhaps that is because as a civilization a majority of us our slightly closed minded, and it is so crazy to try and wrap our minds around the endless posibilites of never knowing the truth about such things. But, every story idea in the world has been inspired from something, or somewhere, or someone. Every myth had to have started out as some form of truth, which was passed down through generations as a game of chinease whispers, snowballing through the years to leave us with the view we have today on such creatures and possibilities.
Take Bram Stoker's Dracula for instance...
(I know, pretty much everyone who likes vampires and werewolves will talk about this particular story, but it was this story that ignited my passion for the paranormal. So please bare with me.)
 |
| Woodblock print of Vlad the Impaler dining in the presence or numerous impaled corpses. |
The amazing Bram Stoker was inspired by the story of Vlad Tempes who was a tyrant and very cruel warlord. He would capture his enemies and impale them on top of tall stakes, allowing the weight of their body to push them down and kill them, which was why he recieved the nickname "Vlad the Impaler." Now the actual man wasn't a vampire in the sense that we know vampires to be, he didn't drink blood, but he did like to kill. Because of Vlad's ways, and the belief and suspisions of the country he was born and raised in, well, he was the perfect character to weave the vampire myths around, which is what he did. He took a real life person, and a bundle of myths and weaved an amazing gothic romance.
Naturally every story, and account on such creatures is different, and that is because every country has their own type of vampire - or werewolf or any other mythical creatures you can think of - which looks and acts differently to the rest. And Romania, like every other country in the world had/have their own suspisions and beliefs regarding witchcraft/evil forces/sin/punishment after death, and there have been reports and stories - on all creatures - dating as far back as 400 B.C.
400 B.C. That was forever and ever ago! The world has changed. As a civilization with have grown, and changed with it. We have advanced. I'm sure if we jumped back in to the past and told an ancient civilisation that we could talk to people through small noisy devices, and sit inside a huge metal box that can fly, they would think we were crazy. Yet it's the truth, so surely there is truth in a myth?
(Bibliography: Pictures courtesy of Wiki. My source of research information comes from the ever so helpful - Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Stalk the Night by Bob Curran.)
4 comments:
This is really interesting, Elizabeth. I've never thought of it quite in these terms, but that inspiration certainly did come from somewhere.
It's great to "meet" you - welcome to the Noble family! (And congratulations!) I enjoyed your post. ;c)
Hi, Elizabeth!
Great post. I personally agree that somewhere, at some point in time, many if not most of the myths and legends we know today were not at least mostly rooted in fact. Vampires, werewolves, and ghosts are my three favorite examples: There are too many points of congruence between far-flung cultures that had NO contact that we know of. A study of comparative pantheistic religion yields striking similarities between the Norse, Egyptian, Greco-Roman, and Pre-Columbian Central American deities.
It had to come from SOMEWHERE, right?
Thank you, glad you both enjoyed the post : )
Oh yes, I like ghosts to. I find all the different ideas people have on the spirits/afterlife fascinating, and I really love the Greeks view. Placing coins on the deceased eyes so when they pass they have payment for Charon to take them into the underworld in his ferry. Then there are all the different layers of Hades... I mean wow. It's so awesome.
*zips mouth* I better stop there I could have so talked about all of this for pages. : P
But yes, it all had to have come from somewhere. There is just so much information dating so far back for it not to have at least been true to some degree. I just love the idea that myth had been reality at some point. It blows me away.
Your an inspiration :) I hope to have half your success
http://gigishakespeare.blogspot.com/
Post a Comment